HAGLEY & STOURBRIDGE 2019

The Beginner’s Course in Beekeeping for 2019 will commence at 19:00 on Thursday 7 February 2019 in the upstairs Meeting Room at The King Arthur Public House, 141 Worcester Road, Hagley, Stourbridge DY9 0NW.

Each session lasts up to two hours for eight consecutive weeks, after which candidates are encouraged to attend ten practical sessions at the Branch Apiary located in Iverley, commencing on Sunday 7 April at 2.00pm and then roughly every ten days. Your course fee includes membership of the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) which means that you will receive BBKA News, the BBKA publication sent to all BBKA members monthly.

The course fee is dependent on whether you keep bees. No bees? Then the course fee is £80.

If you already have bees your course fee will be £98 which will give you up to ten million pounds of public liability cover plus Bee Disease Insurance for up to three hives. In addition, you will be assigned a mentor, an experienced beekeeper who ideally lives locally who can guide you and offer practical advice in your first beekeeping year.

This year we are going to try a “Hire a Hive” scheme to willing candidates. This will probably be on a first come basis. Should we think you have a suitable site, we will hire you a complete hive of bees for a deposit of £150.

At the end of the season you can choose one of three options. One, swap the hive back for your deposit; Two, hand the hive back without the frames and we will give you back £100; Or three, keep the hive and we keep your deposit. Any other equipment loaned to you is returned at the end of the 2019 season for reuse on the next course.

The course is open for only 20 candidates and bookings are being taken now with payment in full on a first come basis. If you start but don’t complete the Beginners Course then no part of the £80 course fee is refundable.

KIDDERMINSTER BRANCH 2019

Fully subscribed for 2019.

MALVERN & UPTON BRANCH 2019

The Malvern & Upton Course for 2019 starts on 28 March at 7pm at Hanley Swan Village Hall with Beginners Theory for 4 theory sessions which will then be followed by 18 practical sessions from April through to September. Further details will be published nearer the time. The venue for the course will be Hanley Swan Village Hall, then the Twyning Apiary for the practical sessions.

The course is an ideal introduction for those who want to start beekeeping or just learn about the subject. For those intending to keep bees the theory course leads on to practical sessions which the Association runs on a Thursday evening during the Spring and Summer months.Click here to go to the course/membership registration page.

This weeks tip: Open the equipment shed and see all those jobs you had fogotten about!

QUEEN BEES BORN IN 2018 ARE MARKED RED | BORN IN 2019 ARE MARKED GREEN | AND BORN IN 2020 ARE MARKED BLUE